In the annual State of the State address to a joint session of
the General Assembly, Quinn said state law should prohibit lawmakers
from voting on issues where they have a conflict of interest. He
urged the Legislature to impose the same kind of ethics requirements
on itself that it previously approved for judges and administration
officials in a state that has seen its past two governors jailed on
corruption charges.

But lawmakers weren't keen on what's perceived as a direct challenge
to the Legislature's authority, and even government watchdogs
pointed out it's a thorny issue that isn't as clear cut as it seems.

Quinn made only scattered references to the state's most pressing
problem -- a stifling public-employee pension deficit, but the
squeeze it puts on other government spending was an undercurrent
throughout the governor's fifth State of the State address. Quinn
pointedly named Senate President John Cullerton's latest legislation
that includes a fallback plan if the first is declared
unconstitutional as "the best vehicle to get the job done."

"Do we want, in the years to come, a prosperous Illinois where
working people continue to have good jobs, where businesses thrive,
and where all our children have a world-class education?" Quinn
asked. "Or do we want to stop the progress and watch our economic
recovery stall?"

Elevated to the job after his former running mate, Gov. Rod
Blagojevich, was impeached and removed from office in 2009 and
elected to a full term the next year, Quinn will face not only stiff
Republican competition but a possible primary challenge from one or
more high-profile Democrats next spring. GOP lawmakers were keenly
aware of the upcoming political season.